'Amr ibn al-'As

Amr ibn al-As (585-6 January 664) was a general of the Rashidun Caliphate who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt from 639 to 642.

Biography
Amr ibn al-As was born to the Banu Sahm tribe of the Quraysh in Mecca, Arabia. He was originally a trader, accompanying trade caravans to Asia, Egypt, and the Middle East. A member of the Quraysh nobility, Amr originally fought against Muhammad and the sahabah, and he was later the envoy to Abyssinia. Amr got highly interested in Islam after seeing the Muslims praying, and he converted along with Khalid ibn al-Walid in 629. In September of that year, he led 300 men (plus 200 reinforcements) and forced the enemy tribe to flee in the Campaign of Dhatas Salasil. He also converted the leaders of Oman to Islam, and was made governor of the region after Muhammad's death. Under Caliph Abu Bakr, he led Muslim armies into Roman Palestine, and he was at the battle of Yarmuk and the siege of Damascus in 636. When Abu Bakr died during the siege of Damascus, Amr offered his services to the new caliph Umar, who agreed with his plan to invade Egypt. He led 4,000 Arabs into Egypt, later reaching 15,000 men. At the Battle of Heliopolis on 6 July 640, he defeated 20,000+ Byzantine troops under Theodore. In 641 he seized Alexandria, and in 645 he won the Battle of Nikiou when Byzantines tried to recapture Alexandria. Amr founded the city of Fustat before returning to the Muslim capital of Damascus, and he became an adviser of Mu'awiyah. During the First Fitna he supported the rebels, and he died in 664 after having been reappointed as governor under the Umayyad Caliphate.